Senate panel meets service chiefs over killing of soldiers in Delta

The joint senate committee on army, navy and airforce on Wednesday met with the service chiefs over the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama community, Bomadi LGA of Delta state. 

The security chiefs present at the meeting were Christopher Musa, chief of defence staff; Taoreed Lagbaja,  chief of army staff; Hassan Abubakar, chief of air staff, and Emmanuel Ogalla, chief of naval staff.

Last week, 17 soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, two majors and a captain were killed in the south-south state.

The soldiers were responding to a distress call after a communal clash broke out between the Okuama and Okoloba communities when they were ambushed and killed.

President Bola Tinubu had vowed that those who were responsible for the killing of the soldiers would not go unpunished.

The meeting, which was held behind closed doors, was presided over by Ahmed Lawan, chairman of the committee on defence.

Speaking before the executive session, Lawan said the national assembly will “always support our military in whatever way we can”.

“We try to at all times make a meaningful appropriation for resources to be available,” Lawan said. 

“We know it has never been enough and I will take this opportunity to commend our armed forces for doing so much with the little we can afford. 

“The insecurity in our country takes precedence over any other consideration and, therefore, it is the position of the senate that no investment in any sector can be more important than ensuring that we are secured as a country.

“We, therefore, are very sad as a parliament over this tragic incident. It is our hope in the senate that those who perpetrated this barbaric and horrific act are captured and the law takes full course on them.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians that this is our armed forces and they cannot secure us without us as citizens playing our part.

“Therefore, every citizen is supposed to support our armed forces.

“Those in the area where this incident happened must volunteer information because this is the only way we can stop something like this from happening another time.”

The lawmakers subsequently observed a minute-silence for the departed soldiers.